2007 Nissan Altima

Comments

"I realize the noise issue may seem trivial, but I drive 1500 miles a week for work, and my car has unfortunately become an office."

Not at all--I realize when you pay what we're having to pay for these things, you expect a certain level of refinement. It's possible you may have a leak of some kind--I think Road & Track rated the Altima #2 instead of #1 precisely because it had a wind leak, which is ridiculous for a car like this. Plus they said theirs looked like it had been spray bombed with a depressing primer gray paint job, which is a selective item.

Cabin Noise is NOT trivial when you cruise a lot at 70mph or so & not fun sriving racing around on the highway. At a constant hum of some sort, it will never go away as your bedmate's snoring. You are spending about 20% of you awaken life in this cabin.

It is competitive comparison. If I can get less noise with a different make and model for the similar amount of money, I will say, one really need to think hard.

I will say the 2.5 is intolerable on any accleration and it is MUCH WOORSE thatn the Generation 3/previous Altima 2.5.

However, when it is light load cruising at 65-70 mph, both the 2.5 and 3.5 are quite quiet but don't accelerate.

i purchased a 3.5SE manual transmission in January. its not as quite as Maxima which i have rented before but i found it to be a quite ride. but i owned a 99 mazda protege for 7 years so this car is a step up for me.

are all manual transmissions in Nissan's a little rough? i find going into 2nd gear a little rough. this is my first Nissan and from reviews i have read, the car testers seem to always say the nissan manuals are not 'fun'

"I will say the 2.5 is intolerable on any accleration and it is MUCH WOORSE thatn the Generation 3/previous Altima 2.5."

I think it's axiomatic that the smaller engines are noisier than the larger ones--they're working harder to accomplish the same task. In spite of all the advancements, there's still no substitute for cubic inches.

I too find the seat in my 2007 Altima S to be extremely uncomfortable. I drive 100+ miles each day and after 20 minutes, my lower back/rear is numb. After 2 months of adjusting the seat, I've had no luck. I traded in a 2005 Altima S after 40K miles that was much more comfortable. It seems they got rid of the lumbar adjustment in the 2007. I plan to write Nissan about it.

Also, most of my miles are highway, yet I'm getting less MPG than I did in my 2005 Altima S (26 MPG this week). I was expecting much better than that with the CVT transmission.

Other than that, I really do like the car. It's my 3rd one in 3 years.

The Mazda3 from 2004 to mid 2006 has been plagued with the dreaded on/off cycling of the compressor. Until recently, Mazda ended up redesigning the HVAC air flow system (venting) which improved the cooling inside the cabin. They also added auto climate control with inside cabin light and temperature sensors to help out with the cooling.

It is G3 2.5 engine with G3 insulation against G4 2.5 engine with G4 insulation under some push. That is what bothered me. The engine is almost feels like it is right behind a thin firefall & the G4 sounded louder and liked it is struggling. Now, one light load cruising, they are quiet enough.

Just put a deposit on a black 3.5SE manual here in Canada. Also considered an 07 Legacy GT and the new Silverado 1500. (Completely different cars, I know). What really won me over were the ridiculously strong brakes on the Nissan.

I was able to test drive it without the salesman, so I took it to an empty stretch of country road and did the 0-60-0 test. Oh man, it just about took my face off! I think I may have a mild concussion from the force of braking slamming my brain against the front of my skull. Seriously.

And of course it's hard to beat the price of an SE here in Canada. It was more than $8000 cheaper than the LGT (they just would not budge on the price). The truck would have been about the same and slightly cheaper month-to-month because of GM's low financing rates, but it wouldn't fit in underground parking at work (6'2" clearance :confuse: )

I didn't seriously consider any other cars (or trucks) out there because of either performance or features/price differences.

BTW: manually folding mirrors are standard on the 3.5SE models in Canada (there is no 3.5SL trim, but there is a cheaper 3.5S trim that doesn't have the sport suspension or the TCS).

For the March issue, Consumer Reports magazine tested five family sedans (Kia Optima, Saturn Aura, Pontiac G6 and Chrysler Sebring), titled it Leaping Ahead, with the sub-title The Redesigned Nissan Altima Accelerates to the Top of Our Ratings. Also, they tested both four cylinder and V-6 versions in this comprehensive test. The four cylinder won almost all the acceleration tests--only beat by .2 of a second by the Saturn Aura 45-65, had the best gas mileage of all. The V-6 won ALL the acceleration tests (0-60 6.4), (45-65 3.9), 1/4 mile 15, and got best mileage of all tested. It begins by saying "The Altima 3.5 SE virtually ties with the Honda Accord V6, our top-rated family sedan. The four-cylinder Altima 2.5S is relatively refined. Both are coupled to a smooth continuously variable transmission, which helps them attain commendable fuel economy." CR continues: "Both engines deliver strong acceleration yet get commendable fuel economy. The 175-HP 2.5-litre four cylinder accelerates better than some V6s and returned 25 MPG overall on regular fuel. Although it requires premium fuel, the smooth and punchy 270-HP 3.5-litre V6 returns 23 MPG (I'm actually hoping for better) overall, comparable to some four-cylinder engines. Both are mated to a smooth CVT. Braking performance is very good. Both halogen and HID low beams perform well but have a sharp cutoff." About the interior it says "The Altima has nicely textured, well-fitting materials. Drivers have plenty of room in the cockpit, even with the optional sunroof. The steering wheel has an awkward telescope adjustment and coarse tilt settings. While rear-visibility is hampered by a high rear deck, the 3.5 SE's optional backup camera works well. The Altima's bright back-lighted gauges are easy to read. The controls are straightforward and the optional navigation system is easy to use." I will have to say, on my first highway trip, I did find the seats harder than usual, as some others have pointed out, but not badly so.

i have a canadian spec car, so i don't know if it makes a difference, but while the car is moving this is what happens:

navigation entering addresses: no you cannot enter new addresses while moving.

radio-controls: radio controls work on lcd screen. except in CD mode you cannot use the Track function which lets you see all the songs on the CD, but it does work when vehicle is stopped at a stop light.

heating control: i do not have any heating controls on LCD screen

it would be interesting to know of US spec Navi packages have heating controls on LCD screen?

I have a 2007 2.5S 6 speed and the mirrors are fixed. Does anyone know if you can "swap" the mirrors that are on the SL onto the base car? I would like the collapsible mirrors simple because if you get to close to the garage door they will not sheer off but move.

There has also been a lot of discussion about the cabin noise. I find the car very quiet, especially cruising on the highway. I normally cruise between 75-90 going back and forth to work and have no engine noise or wind noise worth talking about.

I drove both the CVT and the 6 Speed. I opted for the 6 Speed because it was quieter on acceleration and cruise, YMMV.

I have had the car for about 3 weeks with about 500 miles on it. Would be more but it has been snowing here so I have not been driving it.

Anyway it is getting combined about 28MPG on the first tank of gas. Since I filled it up I am now averaging about 30MPG combined. My expectation is that it will settle in at around 30-31MPG once it is broken in with a few thousand miles.

The fun factor is very high with the 6 Speed manual and the engine has a nice note to it when accelerating as I shift. :shades:

I would venture to guess it is not by much from driving both. It is easy to "slam" the accelerator down on the CVT and just let the car go; strange sensation the first time you do that and the car does not shift. With the manual it takes an experienced driver to get the most out of the car. In daily commuter driving I do not believe there is a "real" difference in usable straight line acceleration. The cvt also has very sophisticated logic so that it "downshifts" correctly when you need that extra little bit of acceleration.

With the manual you just drop it into a lower gear and you do not have to think about what the cvt may do. Of course you can use the auto manual mode to simulate. I prefer and trust the manual when I need to "shoot the gap" in traffic since I know there will be no lag.

For me it was that the car seemed quieter than the cvt under acceleration and cruise.

"It is easy to "slam" the accelerator down on the CVT and just let the car go; strange sensation the first time you do that and the car does not shift."

Traditionally I've always preferred manual cars--the one I traded on the Altima was an '04 VW NB GL TDI 5 Spd--but I loved the first CVT I ever drove when looking at a Saturn several years ago. We've gone from two-, three-, four-, five- and now six-speed automatics--STOP! I love the turbine-like smoothness, reminds me of the '50s Buick Dynaflows, except without all the wasted slippage. When you floor it, it is also reminiscent of the variable-pitch stator installed in the Dynaflows from 1955 on and also applied to the Turbo-Hydramatic 400's in '65-'67 Olds/Buicks/Cadillacs.

Just bought mine (2.5sl) about 2 weeks ago, and the cvt has never reved the engine at 6000. even when i stomp the gas from a stand still, it tops at about 5200. In fact, its been my experience that the cvt seems to keep the rpm's down considerably. I can cruise at 70mph at about 200rpm's.

anyways, as for the return trip to the dealership, that not uncommon. even the best, most reliable cars average something like 2.5 trips back to the dealership, and i've had to take every new car i've ever bought back to the dealer at least once in the first year for something.

and don't let the tow truck give you the wrong impression. after having spent 20k+, most people (myself included) will tell the dealer to tow it, rather than driving it back.

Hi all, I just drove my moms 2000 Maxima GLE I must say I love the acceleration. The acceleration was clean and has no hesitation what so ever when I pressed the accelerator. It felt like the fuel flow was right on tap. I was wondering if the current owners of 2007-2008 V6 CVT Altimas have the same exciting acceleration or if there is a 1 or 2 second delay when the accelerator is pressed.

CVT transmission well have that delayed feeling, but it really don't hurt the perforamance all that much. I have a 07 Nissan Versa with the CVT, and also have a 05 Altima with the 3.5l. The current Altima is faster, and smoother then your mothers Max...

Last Saturday, I took a few test drives, including an 07 Altima 4-cyl. It must have been an 'S', since it had an auto/CVT w/ a 4-cyl.

I was really impressed with the interior, quiet/smooth ride, comfortable seats (at least from my short test drive). Power seemed reasonable.

What I didn't like was the handling in the snow. It was snowing pretty good, but it wasn't deep at all, and there was plenty of traffic on the roads. It just felt squirmy when accelerating. It felt downright bad. On clean roads, I didn't notice any problem.

I drove a 4-cyl Accord after that, from the same dealership, and it seemed to handle the snow a little better. The salesman said it was due to the wider tires on the Altima. Looking at the specs, the Altima has 215s, while an lx/se/ex Accord has 205s.

Does anyone have experience with the Altima in light-to-moderate snow? Does the V6 with traction and (added) stability control fare any better?

This past weekend I drove home from a party in the snow - "blizzard" conditions. On the sides roads there was probably 6" of snow, I had a foot in my driveway (which I got stuck in).

I was actually very very pleased with the way it handled in the snow! I felt secure and didn't feel like there was much sliding/fishtailing. I was being cautious, but even still, I felt like I had good control of the car.

I felt much more secure in this car than I did in my previous car (Ford Focus, for reference) and I don't think I have EVER driven in as much before.

Hope there is someone on this board who can help me! If I wants to obtain the highest gas milage possible in an Altima 2.5 what tire/tire size/wheel size would I use. I have long felt that S rated summer tires give the best gas milage.... Also I am not considering most true LLR tires because of the percieved reduced handling/braking. (An exception would be the Michelin MXV4S and its newer replacement)Agin, hope some high gas milage folks can shed some facts on this subject. Thanks, Bill

Ka-ching$$$$$ I really want to get a '07 Altima but I would appreciate a simple explanation of all these plans. What if any is worth it? Besides oil changes (My current cars)Semi-Syn every 4-5K. What is the suggested maintenance interval per the warranty? I have a 2000 S40 with 142k. It runs great, my only real problem has been with the check engine light...like all Volvos its on more than it off. Volvo offers just one extended warranty plan. Thanks again, Bill

How you can describe the 6 sp. operation? Are rpm's hanging like most of today's cars when you go from one gear to another or rpm's drop as soon as you depressed the clutch? Is this tranny slick and precise or shifts rough?